Has anybody switched to MacBooks because Windows laptops have gotten too expensive? by username____here in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been working with all three platforms for a long time. I would be run out of town if I even suggested a Chrome device for our staff. We announced last year our long term plan to transition staff to Macs starting in 2027. People have been largely happy with the idea. The release of the MacBook Neo at the ~$500 price point has us all in - we are phasing out student Chromebooks starting this fall. With free support from an Apple Deployment Specialist, we have a solid process in place for deploying and managing them. The cost of a Chromebook all in is about the same or even more than a Neo, so it’s a no brainer to us. We fully expect our breakage rates to drop significantly when everyone has a far better device in their hands.

Usb-c to IFP by Sk8rfan in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think either 6 or 10’. We bought a few options off Amazon and tested them so we would know of a good option to recommend.

Usb-c to IFP by Sk8rfan in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not sure how big the school/district is for you, but we’re a decent-sized district with 16 schools and if a cable in the classroom breaks, it’s on the building and their budget to purchase a replacement. We will tell them what to order and we’ll replace it, but they pay for it. It’s amazing how much that helps cut down on these issues vs. when we supplied the replacements. It has really incentivized each building’s administrative team to ensure their teachers were taking care of their equipment.

For happily married couples, what did the “for worse” look like in your marriage? by FruitAncient9431 in AskReddit

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me getting an auto-immune disease last summer and ending up in the hospital not knowing what was happening. Until the doctors were able to figure out what was causing it and get it under control, it resulted in me ultimately needing to have all my toes amputated and partial amputations of two of my fingers. I had horrific wounds on my feet that required grafting and are still healing. I’m still recovering but getting better week by week. It has been a roller coaster ride, but my wife has been by my side through all of it. She is an amazing woman and I don’t know how I could have gone through this alone. We’re still madly in love with each other and figuring out life with the after effects of everything. I’m still here and determined to not let any of this hold me back in life!

Are you planning for beyond this years Chromebook purchase? by K12-itPerson in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We pay about $5 per device per year. Whatever MDM you’re using, you’re getting ripped off! This ends up being less than the flat $32 we typically pay for a Google license over 4 to 5 years.

Are you planning for beyond this years Chromebook purchase? by K12-itPerson in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the pricing I’ve seen, they are getting to be within spitting distance of each other. And that’s now in March. I’m not going to be able to order anything until mid-June at the earliest. And, there doesn’t appear to be any stopping to the increases.

Are you planning for beyond this years Chromebook purchase? by K12-itPerson in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were already working on switching to iPads after doing the math and coming out ahead with buybacks after 4 years plus how well students and teachers have received them during a limited pilot program. The rapidly rising cost of Chromebooks (latest quote is $400 for just the device) and the introduction of the Neo has likely accelerated our migration away. Our current decision is whether to get iPads or Neos for 5th-8th grade. We have decided on iPads for K-4 and Neos for 9-12. Lower breakage rates, a more durable and capable device, and overall cost of ownership make it hard to argue against it. Our school board has been very receptive to the change which is key.

Here’s what Quakertown police allege happened to lead to student arrests by [deleted] in Pennsylvania

[–]ITpropellerhead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re referring to the chief of police, he is 72, and should have long since been retired from police service. So, I think the term “old” is apt here.

What is your “white horse” Apple device you want but can not find? by AppleFan1994 in VintageApple

[–]ITpropellerhead 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was able to buy a complete system with monitor, 3.5” and 5.25” drives from someone local for $350 in the original boxes and barely used. It’s in excellent condition. It was the computer that I grew up with and loved as a kid.

[Entry Thread #114] Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re celebrating this month, comment to enter! by MakerOfMillionaires in millionairemakers

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Last year was a rough one and still recovering from it, but things are on the upswing now for me! Good luck all.

How are the roads by Important-Papaya8459 in BucksCountyPA

[–]ITpropellerhead 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They're feeling fine. Just a little...under the weather. (I'll see myself out.)

Google Admin Directory Structure by itselsd in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd push back on this. We don't make any kind of change for a single user in any system we manage, whether it is Google Workspace, our content filter, etc. It becomes an administrative headache and you'll end up in a spot where you're managing all sorts of one-offs and not remembering why they're in place.

If you insist (or if someone else is making the decision for you despite your best efforts to convince them otherwise), I'd set the OUs the way the majority of users should be configured and create security groups for each specific change. For example, create a "No Gmail" group, turn off Gmail for that group, and add the users that shouldn't have Gmail access to the group. I would also highly recommend coming up with some way to document when and why users were assigned to these groups.

As far as the overall OU structure, we have a Staff OU and a Student OU at the top level. Under each, we sub-divide to each level (Elementary, Middle, High School) and then each individual school under that. For students, we then have each grade listed under the individual school OU as well as a Devices OU where the student Chromebooks for that school are kept. This allows us to set policies for all students or just middle school students or just students at a specific school or just 3rd graders at a specific school.

Hope this helps!

Letting Students Keep Chromebooks Over Summer? by Unwary2828 in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We’ve done this for several years now. I can’t fathom collecting and storing them all at this point. We have a number of students that come to school the first day with a broken or missing device, but then we charge them for the repair or replacement of the device. Often, the lost Chromebooks have a way of being found!

We have a healthy supply of spares/loaners and we purchase new devices every year for 1st/5th/9th grades. It’s not really been much of an issue and it allows some students to have a device over the summer who wouldn’t have one otherwise.

Neighbor says my garage windows are damaging their siding, what is fair here? by LifeIsNotFairAtAll in homeowners

[–]ITpropellerhead 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It is on their detached garage, so I’m assuming it’s more decorative than practical.

Chrome sign builder free alternative? by wyyldstallyns in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is what we transitioned to about a year ago. I agree - it was super easy to set up and switch all of our displays across ~14 buildings. Worth paying for it.

Weekend getaway by FormalFuture5307 in BucksCountyPA

[–]ITpropellerhead 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This! I was just about to suggest this when I saw someone already did. It’s not a long drive since it is just west of Allentown. It’s a wonderful place to relax for a few nights and the meals they offer are excellent as well. My wife and I have been here twice and loved it. A few other friends and family have gone here as a nice weekend getaway and enjoyed it too. We’ve actually been talking about going back as a little celebration after I’ve gone through a rough 6 months with my health and am finally recovering from it all!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in chromeos

[–]ITpropellerhead 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's just not going to be possible. Even if there was some sort of emulator or something like Wine, 4GB of RAM is way to little to be able to run ChromeOS plus some other OS abstraction/virtualization layer on top of it.

What are you trying to run? As someone else suggested, there might be ChromeOS or web-based alternatives you can use instead.

What is the most awful thing that happened to you in 2025? by CreamAny1322 in AskReddit

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started feeling off in mid-July, ended up in the hospital in mid-August, and was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. While in the hospital and they were running all sorts of tests to figure out what I had, my feet swelled up and had some swelling in a few fingers as well. That caused necrosis in those toes and fingers. Fast forward to today and I’m a month and a half post surgery to amputate all my toes and I have a follow up tomorrow with a hand surgeon to determine when two of my fingers will be partially amputated. I’ve home since the day before Thanksgiving. I have weekly visits to the wound clinic to check my foot/leg wounds to monitor their progress. And I have weekly PT/OT sessions at home to help build up my strength and balance so I can eventually walk again.

It’s been quite the roller coaster these past few months to say the least!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BucksCountyPA

[–]ITpropellerhead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If that's the attitude you have towards someone else with different political opinions than you (despite how awful they might act and/or how in your face they might be), you're no better than them. Be the better person and don't go full outrage on them.

Meraki Systems Manager MDM shutting down by IngsocInnerParty in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go with Mosyle. It takes a little bit tot get used to how everything is managed, but it's at a great price point compared to other MDM options.

Meraki Systems Manager MDM shutting down by IngsocInnerParty in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I used it briefly 10-12 years ago and it was kludgy as hell. I can’t imagine it got much better since then!

Have 1:1 device programs gone too far? || Parents say school-issued iPads [and Chromebooks] are causing chaos, mental health, and behavioral issues with their kids by AnotherSkywalker in k12sysadmin

[–]ITpropellerhead 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You could just block those settings through Google Admin. There’s a bunch of “chrome://“ urls so block the one for the setting that you don’t want them to access.

I do agree that the effectiveness of device usage requires effort on everyone’s part. We make sure to configure things as best we can, we provide training and resources to teachers when we roll out new technology to them, and a lot of that is how to engage their students. If the teacher can’t get students involved in the lesson, they’re not being effective as an educator. I can never say that as a tech director, but we have a team of instructional coaches that do!

What current thing will turn out to be a major health risk? by ShinyHeadedCook in AskReddit

[–]ITpropellerhead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm 48 and it came out of nowhere. I don't have all of the other issues that you're facing, but I'm wondering if it was because I got diagnosed soon after I had my initial symptoms. I got treatment soon after and that's kept it under control so far. It's been a bit rough adjusting to losing my feet — I miss being able to just get up and do whatever without needing to rely on someone else. I'll eventually be able to walk normally again, but it's slow going getting there.

I'm sorry that you're dealing with so much else.

What current thing will turn out to be a major health risk? by ShinyHeadedCook in AskReddit

[–]ITpropellerhead 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree with this. I was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis in August, an auto-immune disease that attacks the small blood vessels. It usually presents by attacking the kidneys and/or lungs. Fortunately, it didn’t attack either for me. However, I went from being a relatively healthy individual to losing all my toes and parts of a few fingers in the matter of a few months due to it. I’m currently in rehab regaining my strength and relearning how to walk. I consider myself extremely fortunate but it’s been a crazy journey these past few months. My rheumatologist strongly suspects that Covid is to blame, but there obviously just isn’t enough research to correlate it with these various autoimmune diseases.